Three people, including two 16-year-olds, were arrested Saturday in connection with a shootout that killed a man and injured three other people, Merced, California police said.
The deceased was identified as Elyas Jerry Aguilar, 18, according to the Merced Police Department. The wounded victims were taken to trauma centers; their conditions were not available.
The shooting was reported at 3:12 a.m. at a downtown parking garage across the street from Merced City Hall and a few blocks from police headquarters, police said in a statement.
A fight broke out, a 16-year-old opened fire on a vehicle that had people inside, and "an exchange of gunfire" ensued, the department said. That teenager is also counted as one of the people injured; he was struck by return fire, police said.
He was arrested on suspicion of murder, shooting at an occupied vehicle, and gang allegations, the department said. The suspect wasn't identified because he's a juvenile.
Arriving officers faced a scene described by the Merced department as "chaotic." "There were numerous people fleeing on foot and in vehicles, some of them armed," it said.
A second 16-year-old was arrested after officers alleged he was running from the scene with the gun involved in the fatality, Merced police said. He was booked based on weapon and gang allegations, it said.
Also arrested was Marcos Montoya, 25, of Merced, booked on allegations of negligent discharge of a firearm, carrying a concealed firearm in a public place, and possession of an unregistered firearm, police said.
The region was shaken by separate news Monday of the armed kidnapping and slaying of four family members, including an 8-month old.
The bodies of baby Aroohi Dheri; her parents Jasleen Kaur, 27, and Jasdeep Singh, 36; and her uncle Amandeep Singh, 39, were discovered in an almond orchard Wednesday evening, police said.
On Tuesday authorities arrested 48-year-old Jesus Manuel Salgado, who may have worked for the family the past, in connection with the crimes. His brother, 41-year-old Alberto Salgado, was arrested Thursday for allegedly aiding his sibling.
It wasn't clear if the siblings had legal representation. The local public defender's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The kidnapping took place in an unincorporated area of Merced County, which has a population of roughly 286,000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
The nearby city of Merced, where Saturday's shooting occurred, is in the agricultural Central Valley about 130 miles east of San Francisco.
